Touching a bare electrical wire under voltage can lead to sad consequences, because the human body is a conductor and, getting into an electrical circuit, becomes part of it. All wires, as well as their connections, must be properly insulated, since safety is directly related to this. Reliable isolated contact eliminates short circuits, as well as current leakage. But what to do if bare wires were found in the living room? Please fix this problem as soon as possible.
Bare wire detection
Despite how well a person may know their home and everything that happens in it, there are places that no one has ever looked into. It is there that the danger of detecting damaged wiring may lurk. Also, the insulation of electrical wires is prone to damage due to a short circuit, which can be caused by damage to the braid due to prolonged exposure to a humid environment, voltage drops, failure of household electricaldevice. The integrity of the wire sheath can also be damaged due to careless actions during repair or installation work. It is important to determine if a bare wire is energized as soon as possible and take steps to ensure electrical safety.
Unknown wire
If you find an unknown wire with damaged insulation, you must immediately stop using electrical appliances and switches. Then it is worth checking the presence of voltage on the damaged wire using a voltage indicator. This can prevent damage to the wiring itself, in addition to insulation. Now you need to troubleshoot. First, de-energize this section of the wire, and only after that you can insulate the bare wires.
Short circuit
Due to a short circuit, there is a significant increase in the current strength in the electrical circuit, which, in turn, leads to an increase in the temperature of the conductor. As a result, the insulating material that covers the wiring is melted. In addition to damage to a single wire, mass failure of current conductors can occur when a junction box is short-circuited. Here, in order to avoid an accident, it is necessary to carry out an assessment of damage only after the complete disconnection of the power supply to it. Insulation of damaged wires in the junction box is carried out in two ways:
- by cuttingfused section and connection of the remaining part;
- by separating the fused part of the wiring into separate bare wires and insulating them one by one.
Damage during repairs
When driving a nail into a wall or drilling a hole in it, a person does not always think about the fact that wires can be hidden in it. And getting into them, it turns out, is not so difficult, which often happens. In this case, it is necessary to de-energize the damaged part of the wiring and, using a hammer and chisel, widen the hole in the wall, thus providing access to both parts of the damaged wire. Before removing the insulation, it is necessary to check the absence of voltage with an indicator and only then proceed with the repair. After successful insulation, the wall in the damaged area can be re-plastered.
Wiring insulation
Insulating bare wires requires the right approach to ensure safety. This can be done using heat shrink tubing, PVC insulation tape or insulated terminals. The most common way to restore insulation is to use PVC tape. It should be wound on a bare area at a slight angle so that the turns lie from the beginning to the end of the place where the wires are twisted and back. In this case, it is necessary to go beyond the area with missing insulation by a centimeter and a half. Heat shrinkable tubing is becoming more and more popular because it is very convenient to use. To sit on the wire, it is necessaryheat with a special building hair dryer or burner.
Connecting terminals and clips are already in a non-conductive housing, so additional insulation is not required. Terminals are convenient for connecting bare wires in a junction box.
Compliance with all safety measures and the correct wiring repair sequence guarantees success and safety. The main thing is not to rush and approach the matter with all responsibility, and sometimes it is better to entrust the matter to a professional electrician.
